Types of Meter

Meter is a unit of rhythm in poetry, the pattern of the beats. It is also called a foot. Each foot has a certain number of syllables in it, usually two or three syllables. The difference in types of meter is which syllables are accented and which are not.

Iambic

A foot which starts with an unaccented and ends with an accented (stressed) syllable. It is the most common meter in the English Language and naturally falls into everyday conversation.or the alphabet.

Trochaic

A foot (opposite of an iambic meter) that begins with an accented then followed by an unaccented syllable.

Anapestic

A foot which has two unaccented syllables followed by an accented syllable.

Dactylic

A foot including an accented syllable followed by two unaccented syllables.

Spondee

A foot consisting of two accented syllables

Pyrrhic

A foot including two unaccented syllables, generally used to vary rhythm.

Monometer-one foot
Dimeter - two feet
Trimeter - three feet
Tetrameter - four feet
Pentameter - five feet
Hexameter - six feet
Heptameter - seven feet


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